Method and apparatus for excavating cuts.



No. 861,852. PATENTED JULY 30, 1 907.

1 F. HILL.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EXGAVATING CUTS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16, 1906.

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No. 861.852. PATENTED JULY 30, 1907.

I METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EXGAVATING CUTS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16, 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 861,852. PATENTED JULY 30, 1907.

'- P. HILL.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BXGAVATING CUTS.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 16, 1906.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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FREMONT HILL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EXCAVATING CUTS.

Specification a- Letters Patent.

Patented July 30, 1907.

Application filed January 16,1906. Serial No. 296,255.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREMONT HILL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inthe Method and Apparatus for Excavating Cuts, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of this invention is to provide means whereby a canal, such as the Panama Canal, may be excavated economically and expeditiously; but the principles involved in this invention will probably be useful in other connections.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of the apparatus installed for operation. Fig. 2 is a cross section of the canal. Figs. 3, i and 5 are details.

1 represents the original surface'level of the ground.

2, is the grade to which the canal is to be dug; or, in other words, the bottom of the canal.

3 and 4 are the slopes.

6 is a tunnel at the bottom of the canal extending longitudinally the full length of the proposed cut. 7, 7, 7 are a series of shafts sunk from the surface to this tunnel.

S, 8, S, 8, 8, 8 are a series of cableways, the head and tail supports 5 of each of which are mounted upon tracks 9-on the original ground level, respectively, on opposite sides of the cut; the cableways extending across the cut. Each of these transverse cableways is preferably an excavating cableway of the construction shown in Fig. 2 herein. lt consists of a supporting cable (1 upon which runs a load carriage b suspending an excavating bucket c of any well known construction.

The carriage is caused to travel by the traction rope (I and the bucket is raised and operated by suitable ropes in a well known manner. All said ropes being controlled by the rope-drums e and f of the engine. The cableways are shown as arranged in pairs; those lettered 8 having their engines on one side of the cut, and those lettered 8 having their engines on the opposite side.

10, 10, 10, are conveyers extending longitudinally between the shafts 7 which conveyers may be either in the form of a belt conveyer, as shown, or of some other type of conveyer, such as an overhead cableway.

Operating in each shaft is a hoisting apparatus 7.

18, 18, 18, are a series of hoppers movable along the longitudinal conveyor 10 and through which the cableways discharge onto the conveyers, respectively On the bottom of the tunnel are laid three tracks 11, 12 and 13, as shown in detail in Fig. 3, upon which run trains of cars 14.

In constructing the canal, I propose to proceed as follows: I first lay the tracks 9, 9, on opposite sides of the proposed cut, which tracks being intended to be substantially permanent during the construction of the canal are to be well built and protected against surface wash. Upon these tracks, I next mount the series of cableways 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, spaced perferably about 500 feet apart and covering the proposed length of the cut. I next construct the series of shafts 7, 7, 7, etc. spaced about the same distance apart. I next excavate the tunnel 6, working not only from each end of the same, but also in both directions from each shaft. 1 next lay the tracks 11, 12, 13, at the bottom of the tunnel; the central track 12 being the loading track and the tracks on either side being for conveying purposes. Since these tracks are to remain permanent during the construction of the canal, they are to be well built. I next, at the bottom of each shaft construct; a loading apparatus, one of which is shown in detail in Figs. 4

and 5, consisting substantially of a series of hoppers 15, 15, etc; corresponding with the number of cars in the train to be loaded and provided with suitable conveying apparatus from the bottom of the shaft throughout the series of hoppers. This conveying apparatus is shown as series of cars 16, running on a track 17, which is so arranged that each car receives the load from the lowering apparatus 7 and carries it into position to be dumped into any one of the hoppers l6 desired by which it is directed into the corresponding car 14 standing on the loading track ]2 beneath.

Having provided and installed the apparatus as above described, I proceed to operate is as follows for the construction of the canal. Each of the transverse excavating cableways 8 or 8 is operated to excavate the surface of the canal between two of the shafts 7 and to deliver its excavated material to the longitudinal conveyer 10 by which it is conveyed to its shaft. Upon arrival at its shaft, the excavated material is lowered by apparatus 7 through the shaft to the tunnel 6 and deposited in the cars 16 0f the loading apparatus at the bottom of the shaft above the path of the cars 14; upon the loading track 12 in the tunnel. Upon the arrival of a train in the proper position, the contents of the loading apparatus is discharged into the cars and the train conveys it on the track 11 or 13 through the tunnel to the outlet at either end thereof and thence over any railroad facilities that may exist, to the desired dumping ground.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The improvement in the art of excavating cuts, which consists in driving a tunnel below the proposed cut, sinking a shaft from the surface to the tunnel, excavating 111:1- terial at the surface, lowering said excavated material from the surface to the tunnel, and removing the same from the tunnel.

2. The improvement in the art of excavating cuts, which consists in driving a tunnel longitudinally below the sur face of the cut, sinking a series of shafts from the surface to the tunnel, excavating material at the surface and lowering such excavated material from the surface through the shaft to the tunnel, and removing the same through the tunnel. I

The improvement in the artof excavating, which consists in constructing a tunnel longitudinally below the surface of the proposed excavation, connecting said tun nel with the surface, excavating material at the surface and removing the same through the aforesaid tunnel.

4. The improvement in the art of making cuts which consists of excavating the material at the surface, lowering it toward the proposed bottom and conveying it away beneath the surface.

5. lhe improvement in the art of making cuts which consists of excavating the material at the surface on opposite sides of the proposed approximately central line, conveying it to said line, lowering it at said line and conveying it away beneath the surface.

(3. As a structure for excavating and conveying in com bination, a tunnel beneath the surface of the excavation, conveying apparatus in said tunnel, a series of shafts leading down to said tunnel and means for conveying the surface excavated material to said shafts.

7. As a structure for excavating, in combination, a tunnel beneath the surface of the excavation, conveying apparatus in said tunnel, a shaft leading down to said tunnel, a conveyer of the surface excavated material to said shaft and a conveyor of the said material to said last named conveyer.

8. As a structure for excavating, in combination, a tunnel beneath the surface of the excavation, conveying apparatus in said tunnel, a shaft leading down to said tunnel and an overhead cableway whereby the surface excavations are conveyed.

9. As an apparatus for excavating, in combination, conveying means located in a tunnel beneath the excavation, means for lowering the material from the surface to said tunnel and means for excavating on the surface, and conveying the material excavated to a shaft through which it is conveyed to the tunnel.

10. As an apparatus for excavating, in combination, a conveying apparatus located within a tunnel beneath the excavation, a lowering apparatus located within a shaft extending from the surface to said tunnel, a surface excavating apparatus and means whereby the excavated material is conveyed to said shaft.

11. As an apparatus for excavating, in combination, a cableway extending overhead across said excavation, a conveying apparatus extending under ground, a carriage oper ating on said cableway whereby the material excavated from the surface is conveyed in position above said under ground apparatus and a passage through which the excavated material is lowered.

12. As an apparatus for excavating, in combination, three longitudinal trackways one of which, as 9, is located on the surface at each side of the excavation and 'the third of which is subterranean, a cableway mounted upon the two side trackways 9 and extending across the excavation and a shaft extending from the surface to said subterranean trackway.

13. As a structure for excavating, in combination, the surface trackways t), 9, on opposite sides of the excavation, a cableway structure mounted to move thereon, a subterranean trackway, a shaft leading down thereto and means whereby the excavated material is transferred from said eableway and loaded on cars on said subterranean track.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREMONT HILL.

Witnesses WALTER A. PAULING, .Tos. J. PURANDO. 

